Disney Buys WQEW 1560AM.

[kevinsealy]

It is now official. Disney has just purchased WQEW from the New York Times according to All Access.

To get the price tag you would need a password for the full details.



Thanks,
Kevin L. Sealy

 

[mikesingh]

About time my AllAccess membership came in handy...

DISNEY/ABC's RADIO DISNEY NEW YORK LLC subsidiary finally files the paperwork with the FCC exercising its option to buy affiliate WQEW-A/NEW YORK from THE NEW YORK TIMES RADIO COMPANY for $40 million cash.

DISNEY has been operating WQEW under a time brokerage agreement since DECEMBER 27, 1998.

 

[TowerBuzz]

About time my AllAccess membership came in handy...

WHAT?! You dont appreciate the job listings in Pocatello IDAHO?!!!

 

[chuckydoll]

A 3-week-old story

This was reported on January 8 by NERW -- which does not require a password. The Walt Disney Co. is paying the New York Times Co. $40 million for the 1560 facilities.

Don't be surprised if ESPN Radio and Radio Disney swap dial positions in New York. That would give the teams now on 1050 (Jets, Knicks, Rangers, St. John's) a better signal in New Jersey and Nassau County.

 

[davideduardo]

Re: A 3-week-old story

Don't be surprised if ESPN Radio and Radio Disney swap dial positions in New York. That would give the teams now on 1050 (Jets, Knicks, Rangers, St. John's) a better signal in New Jersey and Nassau County.

I would be very surprised. WQEW only does a bit better than WEPN in the Union area, as it protects KYW (1060). At night, there is no contest... WEPN is a better signal. In fact, WQEW was always one of those mysterios stations.. they are directional to the East, yet have the transmitter to the East of the City... they should have been out towards Paterson, really. Of course, the thing was built so long ago that they could probably not guess where the population would head.

 

[kevinsealy]

>>>I would be very surprised. WQEW only does a bit better than WEPN in the Union area, as it protects KYW (1060). At night, there is no contest... WEPN is a better signal. In fact, WQEW was always one of those mysterios stations.. they are directional to the East, yet have the transmitter to the East of the City... they should have been out towards Paterson, really. Of course, the thing was built so long ago that they could probably not guess where the population would head.<<<

WQEW's transmitter is in Maspeth, Queens near 48th Street on Grand Avenue.

I believe their signal is directional. I've read a report that the station (the old WQXR-AM) was heard in the Netherlands.




Thanks,
Kevin L. Sealy

 

[chuckydoll]

ESPN to 1560, Radio Disney to 1050?

I would be very surprised. WQEW only does a bit better than WEPN in the Union area, as it protects KYW (1060). At night, there is no contest... WEPN is a better signal.

1050 ESPN has the worst signal of all the 50 kw AMs in New York. The New York papers are always harping on that fact.

During the day 1050 ESPN has to protect WCHR-1040, KYW-1060 and WKMB-1070. At night 1050 ESPN has to protect WCHR, 1050 CHUM, KYW and whoever's on 1070.

WCHR causes havoc to 1050 in Somerset County. WKMB blots out 1050 around Summit and Plainfield, which are both in Union County. That's why WMTR-1250 carries the Knicks and Rangers. That's why 77 WABC simulcast the Jets.

My earlier take holds: Don't be surprised if ESPN and Radio Disney swap dial positions.

 

[davideduardo]

Re: ESPN to 1560, Radio Disney to 1050?

I would be very surprised. WQEW only does a bit better than WEPN in the Union area, as it protects KYW (1060). At night, there is no contest... WEPN is a better signal.

1050 ESPN has the worst signal of all the 50 kw AMs in New York. The New York papers are always harping on that fact.

During the day 1050 ESPN has to protect WCHR-1040, KYW-1060 and WKMB-1070. At night 1050 ESPN has to protect WCHR, 1050 CHUM, KYW and whoever's on 1070.

WCHR causes havoc to 1050 in Somerset County. WKMB blots out 1050 around Summit and Plainfield, which are both in Union County. That's why WMTR-1250 carries the Knicks and Rangers. That's why 77 WABC simulcast the Jets.

Oh, my gosh.

Stations do not "protect" facilities that came on the air after they did. The new stations protect the old ones. In the case of 1040, WEPN does NOT protect this facility... although its existence might prohibit an attempt to improve the 1050 signal. "Protect" means that when the station was designed, certain other stations had to be protected. WHN did not protect WCHR as WCHR did not exist, and would not for many, many decades.

The significant protections of WEPN are KYW and CHUM.

1560, on the other hand, is 510 kHz higher on the dial, with a transmitter in Queens on the big sandbar that is Long Islan; WHN was smartly installed in the marshlands of NJ, which have high conductivity. The theoretical coverage of 50 kw on 1050 would require about 120 kw to match on 1560 were conductivity the same... which it is not. The Queens site has horrible conductivity compared to WEPN, so that is another strike against it... beyond the fact that it is night directional eastward and most of the market is to the West of it.

 

[qtpieislit]

Well, all things being unequal, 1560/WQEW actually comes in, in Philly Town USA, and South Jersey for that matter. It is actually easier to pick up 1050/CHUM, than WHN, I mean WEPN. Which begs to ask, how one can rationalize giving up radio calls like WHN.

 

[davideduardo]

Well, all things being unequal, 1560/WQEW actually comes in, in Philly Town USA, and South Jersey for that matter. It is actually easier to pick up 1050/CHUM, than WHN, I mean WEPN. Which begs to ask, how one can rationalize giving up radio calls like WHN.

... Because few people remeber statons by call letters anymore in the age of digital dial displays. They remember names, like Radio Disney, or dial positions.

 

[cawasinnj]

Which begs to ask, how one can rationalize giving up radio calls like WHN.

That happened almost 20 years ago. WHN was known as a country station at that point and Emmis wanted a call sign to promote the all sports format. (I'm nearly positive that WFAN was the first all sports station in the country.) Thus WHN became WFAN. It wasn't until the fall of 1988 that they moved down to 660kHz and displaced WNBC(AM). By then nobody could get the WHN calls back, unless they tried to pull a KHJ-like plea with the Funny Cookie Company.